What is lone worker monitoring? Lone workers can be monitored in-house or through an Alarm Receiving Centre (Which can be seen as a remote, 24/7 lone worker monitoring station). The goal is to be aware of the location and safety of your lone workers, and to react effectively if anything goes wrong. Of course, there are many ways to “monitor” your lone workers’ safety. Some are very simple (like calling them and checking in on them) and some are more sophisticated, like pairing a dedicated lone worker solution with a specialised ARC (Alarm Receiving Centre). In this article, we’r ..read more

    Download all posters for free Download five free warning signs! In this pack you will find: A free “Mind your head” poster A free “Caution: stairs” poster A free “Watch your step” poster A free “Caution! Wet floor” poster A free “Employees only” poster Protect your staff, customers and visitors To keep your staff, customers and visitors safe, it can be helpful to point out hazards in a clear and simple way. In this free poster pack, we’re giving you the chance to download and print your own safety signs. These signs focus on slips, trips and falls (which are some of ..read more

    What are lone worker devices? Lone worker devices help keep people safe when they’re working alone. This is through providing workers with a more dependable or robust method of staying in touch with their colleagues and/or by flagging if they have taken a fall, become inactive or otherwise are showing signs of distress. You may have heard many terms around lone worker devices  –such as lone worker alarms, wearables, SOS devices, man-down devices, and panic buttons. Some of these terms are used interchangeably, whereas some are more fundamentally different. There is also a n ..read more

    Trade unions and safety More than one in five British workers are part of a trade union. While nearly half of all public sector workers are unionised, this drops to about 1/10 for the private sector. Trade unions aim to protect and advance the interests of their members. Sometimes, unions will be fighting for better pay and benefits, but they also have a long history of protecting workers’ safety and well-being. In fact, the benefits of union organising on health and safety have been documented since 1897! Trade union policies around lone working Many of the major British trade ..read more

  What are the risks of working alone in larger organisations? Large enterprises are defined in the UK as having more than 250 employees. While only 0.1% of businesses count as “large” enterprises, they employ 40% of the working population! Companies of this size face unique challenges around lone working and health and safety in general. Keeping track of lone workers One of the major health and safety challenges facing larger organisations is oversight. Keeping track of hundreds –or even thousands– of employees spread across the country (or the globe) can be difficult. Unlike SMEs, wor ..read more

  Download your free lone working poster A free checklist poster for your office, warehouse or work site. Claim yours!   Our free lone working poster will not just look great in your office, warehouse or site –it will also remind your team of their responsibilities and rights around lone working. This new poster for 2024 lays out, in simple terms:     What “lone working” is, and how to tell if you are a lone worker Key points: You are a lone worker if you work out of eyesite or earshot of a colleague for any amount of time. Lone working is entirely legal, given that y ..read more

  Online searches for “Lone working in an office” have recently increased by 40%. At the same time, an uptick in hybrid and flexible work has left many office buildings at reduced capacity, with many office workers adjusting to working by themselves for the first time. In this article, we’ll look at what is causing this new concern around office lone working, and what rights office workers have when working alone. Introduction: The state of office work in 2023 and 2024 Office work is, once again, making headlines –not because of a Christmas party that got out of hand or a nationwide shor ..read more

    Free lone worker apps –how to protect your lone workers for free in 2023 Keeping your lone workers protected when they’re out and about should be a key consideration for any employer. In fact, if any of your team members work alone for some or all of the day, you need to ensure they have reliable means of communication and support. But is it possible to protect lone workers for free? In this article, we’ll look at the free apps and tools you can use to help protect your lone workers, and review the pros and cons of each. We’ll also look at the benefits of using a professional lo ..read more

  An introduction to lone working in engineering Lone working in engineering may mean being alone inside a workshop, working in someone else’s home or business, or out in the public sphere. Engineers’ highly practical, often machine-focused roles can put them at higher risk of injury, and so its important to explore how and when it is safe to work alone. What sort of work do engineers do? From civil to mechanical, electrical to aeronautical, the umbrella of 'engineer' can cover dozens of roles. (And don't even get us started on computer engineering). That being said, certain risk factors ..read more

When working in a laboratory, safety should always be a top priority. Whether you work in a university or school, or in the science and research industry, proper planning, adherence to safety procedures, and knowledge of emergency protocols are essential for minimising risks and ensuring a safe working environment. In this guide, we’ll outline some important safety practices to follow in the lab. You can use these to build your own rule set, and you can also download our free “Lab Safety” poster to get you started!   Get your free lab safety poster! Claim yours   Plan Your Work As ..read more